Food and drink products are known to deteriorate when in contact with air for an extended period. In particular, wine and oil, especially olive oil, are known to lose their flavour and to oxidise swiftly in the presence of air. Therefore, there is an underlying desire to keep air from coming into contact with liquids when they are being stored. Usually, when bottled wine or oil is opened it remains in its bottle and any air in the bottle remains in place, thereby contributing to the rancidification of oil and the oxidation of wine.
Additionally, once the contents of glass bottles has been used, the bottle is usually thrown away, although it can be recycled. Therefore, there is a desire to re-use bottles in order to reduce the amount of glass waste.